Dr Raymond Seidler Print Page

The plaque commemorates the life and community service of Dr Raymond Seidler (1952-2013) who died on the 26th July 2013. 

Dr Ray Seidler, as he was widely known, spent most of his life in eastern Sydney. He was born in Sydney on 6 March 1952, completed his schooling at Sydney Grammar, and studied medicine at the University of NSW. Dr Seidler set up a clinic in Springfield Avenue, Kings Cross to cater to the medical needs of the Kings Cross, Darlinghurst and Potts Point communities. The practice grew to serve a large and diverse group of patients which included not only local residents, homeless and otherwise marginalised people, the elderly, police, politicians and the occasional celebrity. He opened his clinic at the same time as drug use and dependence in the area was a source of growing concern. Not surprisingly, the treatment of drug dependence became a major focus.

He was an avid believer in pharmacotherapy treatment, a drug replacement therapy that helps opioid-dependent people manage their addiction and played a critical role in opening one of Sydney's first methadone clinics. This work convinced him that the medical treatment of drug users was infinitely more effective than prison sentences. 

Described by his colleagues as an “icon of drug and alcohol medicine in this area”, he was a vocal advocate for addiction medicine and a prolific writer. He regularly appeared in medical journals, letters to the Editor and kept his own blog. He used these platforms to give his patients a voice, and to advocate for a compassionate, evidence based approach to addiction.

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